Zaptastic!
by Jadedanddark
Summary: A new family arrives in Ponyville, but they have a problem: each of their special talents is for destruction, particularly the young filly, Emerald Zap, who isn't sure she really wants to make friends at all-even with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
1. Chapter 1

It happens rarely, but it does happen. Every so often, perhaps once or twice in a generation, a pony is born with the intent of destruction for their very purpose in life. Such a pony, even in childhood, tests the thresholds of friendship and seeks out its weaknesses, without even meaning to. Evil? Not at all. They are merely the only natural predator.

Emerald Zap was one such destined. At the beginning of this tale, nobody knew it, not even herself. She hadn't even gotten her cutie mark yet—her pale green flank was bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. She didn't mind it, though. She had other things to worry about besides the things that time would fix, such as her family suddenly deciding to move to Ponyville. Well, maybe _deciding_ was the wrong word. It was _strongly suggested_ that they _vacate the premises_ after a brief misunderstanding with her father's trademark talent and the mayor of Hoofton's bronze statue of himself. Daddy had only wanted to prove that it was only a bronze-coated copper shell, while the mayor maintained that it was solid brass. A quick flash of the horn later, Mummy and Daddy were hurrying to pack as many of their belongings into satchels as they could before the mob arrived.

So it was that Razor Beam, Quickshot, and Emerald Zap arrived in the town square of Equestria's most famous tiny village. They were exhausted and dirty from their flight from Hoofton, hungry after three days of eating nothing but grass on the side of the road, and lost as to where to begin their new life.

"But dear, why Ponyville?" murmured Mummy. "Everyone knows Princess Celestia visits here regularly, and we're—well, you're—rather a wanted gentlecolt. We are just going to pass through, aren't we?"

"No, Quickshot, we aren't. We are going to stay here, even with the Princess. Who would look for us here? It's the perfect hiding place, precisely _because_ it's a terrible hiding place. Also, I heard they have a great school system." Mummy nuzzled him on his metallic crossed-swords cutie mark, their special kiss. She trusted him.

Emerald Zap wasn't so sure. Her family had a tendency to…well, they happened to be nearby when accidents happened. A lot of the time they got blamed for them, and a lot of the time they deserved the blame, but they always made it right again, when they could.

Trying to fit in didn't make it easy, though. And it looked like Ponyville had more animals living in it than Hoofton did, which was bad for her. Animals didn't like Emerald Zap. Cats in particular did their best to make her unwelcome. She sighed internally as they walked through the town, mentally checking off places she wouldn't be able to go because of the wildlife. Apple orchards, nope, too many sheep and cows and things. She could hear someone calling a dog's name in the distance, something like Olive. That was the real clincher, a dog that would try to bite her ankles and probably ran faster than she did.

They passed a dress shop, and she heard the tinkling laughter of at least two mares inside, but crouched in the window was a fat white cat, a jeweled collar around its neck. Cats were even worse than dogs, because five of their six ends were pointy, and they carried a grudge.

She looked up at a _thupthupthup_ sound, and canceled out finding a way into the local cloud city on account of tortoises with helicopter attachments. What sick person would put that on a…oh, never mind.

Dark trees swayed ominously at the edge of town. Emerald Zap's heart sank as she realized they were her father's destination. The forest was dark, it was scary, and the town abruptly ended right about the point where you could smell the trees, which meant they all avoided it. Of _course_ Daddy would want to build their new house there. He had zero idea of what was a good way to fit into a new location. Their last three times moving had been evidence of that. They never spoke to anyone, but went right into that scary dark wood, and began to shape the trees into shelter.

From the town's perspective, trouble had just come and gone. Three strange unicorns, one white with crossed swords and silver mane, one lavender with white mane and a loaded crossbow on her flank, and a spring green filly with no mark at all wordlessly passed through, went into the Everfree Forest, and did not come out again. Whispers spread hotly, and before sundown, everyone had a theory as to what this odd family was doing here. The rumors grew, until everyone was more or less convinced that they were criminals on the run from the law, and would surely rain destruction upon them. That was all right so long as they stayed in the Everfree. Zuccora could take care of herself, and frankly, nobody would mind if a little destruction came to that forest. It was unnatural, scary. Even if the old Temple of Harmony was in it, there was nothing that could make the place less suspicious. It was sad that the family had been swallowed up by it, but there was nothing to do about that but wonder.

So when the filly turned up at the schoolhouse a week later, looking shy and disheveled but clean, nobody knew what to think. The filly, Emerald Zap as she called herself (at low volume while standing before the class, because that is how Miss Cheerilee introduces one), looked like she had groomed herself without a mirror, and didn't intend to make friends.

And really, she didn't. She'd learned that after the second move, that friends were just things to break your heart when you missed them, and weren't allowed to write because it was too big a risk if anyone knew where you had gone. She took her seat and tried to pay attention, determined to get an education if nothing else. The other kids were turning around in their chairs to look at her, and she ignored them. It was just as easy not to make enemies as to not make friends. A note slid onto her desk. When Miss C's back was turned, she opened it.

Hey Blank Flank! What happened, you lose your hairbrush? Go back to the cave and do it right!

Love and Kisses, (picture of a tiara)

Emerald Zap scanned the bums in front of her, picking out the one that matched the signature, noting that the filly who owned it also worse a matching tiara on her head. She quickly wrote back.

Thanks for the tip, but I'll not be accepting the grooming advice of someone who wears their bum as a hat. Why not also wear a name tag, are you that forgettable?

Best Friends Forever, (significant absence)

The note was snatched from her hoof before it could be flicked in the decked-out filly's direction. Miss C frowned at her. "We do not pass notes in this class, Emerald Zap. Go to the front and read it."

"But—"

"You heard me. If you've got something to say that can't wait until recess, you should say it, don't you think?" There was some muted laughter, and Emerald Zap clenched her teeth together, kicking herself. She hadn't wanted to look this stupid on the first day. It could have waited until, say, tomorrow. She trudged up to the front, and read the note in its entirety. Miss Cheerilee frowned again, threw the note in the waste bin, and continued the lesson, indicating that both guilty parties should see her after class. Diamond Tiara glared at Zap, a promise of pain everlasting in those purple eyes. Whatever.

Surprising was the other set of eyes that turned to her, the ones belonging to an earth pony wearing a big red bow. That one smiled broadly, and whispered to the two sitting beside her. All three turned to smile at her, and Zap felt a deep terror. Was she going to she jumped after school? What was the punishment for fighting, was it expulsion? What if she won? She probably could, especially if it was only one-on-one, or even two-on-one. Three would be harder. The rest of the lesson passed without incident, and at the bell, she approached the desk alongside the other filly.

"Now Emerald Zap, it's your first day, so I'll be a little easier on you, but I do _not_ accept rudeness, and I do _not_ accept note-passing. If you can't be nice, kindly refrain from doing anything, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am." Diamond Tiara snickered. Miss Cheerilee rounded on her.

"And you, Diamond Tiara. Don't think it escaped my notice that you passed the note first, and were just as rude. I expect you to be welcoming to newcomers, and I must say, you were a long shot from that. Now apologize." Diamond Tiara growled something that might have been "Sorry," and bolted.

Zap followed more slowly. The sky was clouding up; it looked like rain later tonight. There was a smell of ozone in the air, so it would be a bad one. She hoped the roof her family had worked so hard to build wouldn't leak.

She almost walked straight into the filly with the bow. "Hey there! Got a sec?" she said, her voice dusted with a country-style drawl. Zap lowered her eyes. "I don't have any money. Please leave me alone." She tried to push past, but found herself surrounded by the other two from class, a white unicorn and an orange Pegasus. She hadn't even heard them approach. Oh no.

"Here now, what kinda talk is that? We don't want money, we wanna be your friends!"

"Yeah! Anyone who stands up to Diamond Tiara is all right in my book," said the Pegasus.

"You were really eloquent," finished the unicorn. Everyone stared at her, Zap included. Exasperated, the unicorn said "That means clever with your words." They all went, ohhh.

"Anyhow, we'd like you to join our club," said Red Bow. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and our mission is individuality through teamwork! What do ya say?" They all displayed their blanks, three tabula rasas in a line. "I'm Apple Bloom, this here's Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. What's your name?"

"You already heard my name in class."

"Yeah, but you oughta tell it!"

"Oh. Um. I'm Emerald Zap. I don't think I can join your club, but thanks for asking. I…don't know how long I'll be here." She might have said more, but a strong wet wind picked up, bringing with it the first few drops of the storm. "I have to go! Bye!" she hollered, and galloped off towards the forest. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in the storm, especially in a town she didn't know too well. The Crusaders stared after her.

"What an oddball," remarked Scootaloo.

"Makes you wonder what her old town was like," said Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom said nothing. She was noting the direction Zap had run to, and thinking.

"Ah don't care what she said to that snooty stuck-up filly, Ah don't want you talkin' to that new kid anymore!"

"But siiiiis!" whined Apple Bloom, passing the biscuits. "She ain't got any friends! And yer always tellin' me I gotta see people for who they really are!"

"And now Ah'm tellin' you that girl's trouble! You ain't been in the town, you don't know what people been sayin'! Her pappy's a real bad nut, he is, and who knows how much of him wound up in her!"

"But didn't everyone say the same things about Zuccora a year ag—"

"Apple Bloom, you hush your mouth or Ah will hush it for you. Now pass the butter."

"But—"

"Ah do hate to say it twahse! Hush up and let's not have any more of this crazy-talk at the table!"

Apple Bloom hushed. Outside, the storm howled.

At least the roof was holding. That was good. The walls and front door, not so much. Razor Beam was leaning all his weight on the main support beam of the house, trying to be stronger than the wind for just a little longer, as long as it would take for Quickshot to hammer in more pegs. Whatever her talent ended up being used for, it was mighty handy when you needed something blasted into a slot. The purple glow of her horn went from one peg to another, pounding and blasting as quick as her name. Zap stayed out of the way, trying to plug up holes in the walls with clay. Daddy was swearing, and that meant any minute now he would vent some frustration. Zap did her best to be small and silent, so at least she's have a chance of avoiding the fallout. Mummy was fast, she could dodge anything, but Zap didn't even have a useful horn yet.

There was a massive creak, and the whole tiny house shook as the wind pushed the walls until they slanted. "Blast this storm!" growled Razor Beam. "Zap, we're going to need more wood if we're going to keep this place standing!"

"But Daddy, what if I—"

"I didn't ask for your opinion you little brat, I said go get more wood!"

"Go on, Zap, better do as he says," said Quickshot, attention divided. She still found time to lean close and say in a whisper just audible over the wind, "Go find help. Stay there until this is over, we'll be ok." Zap hesitated, then nodded once and dashed out into the rain.

It was cold, and so fast it stung her face when she turned towards the town. She didn't know where to go, but it was looking like anywhere would be better than here. She did her best to gallop off, the path illuminated by lightning every thirty seconds.

The problem was, the Everfree Forest has physics that work differently than anywhere else. Light behaves differently, and had she known it, Emerald Zap might have trusted her instincts more than her eyes. As it happens, she took exactly the wrong path, and ran off at full tilt into the heart of the forest.

Zuccora was having her own trouble with the storm ravaging her house, but not, thankfully, structural trouble. Bottles were crashing together and her wooden wind chimes sounded about to shatter, and it was all she could do to untie things and get them inside. Her lantern wouldn't stay lit for more than a minute or two at a time, so she had to rely on memory of where things were, and the occasional flashes of electric light. Quickly nosing a shutter closed, she happened to look into the trees as lightning turned everything stark black and white. She almost didn't believe it, but there was no mistaking the silhouetted form of a young unicorn, running against the wind. "Little one, come quick to me!" shouted Zuccora, hoping the child could hear her. "The storm is worst over Everfree!" The shadow stopped running, looking for her. She shouted again. "Hurry, quickly move your feet! The weather soon will have us beat!" The child began to run again, straight for her house, thank goodness.

Just as she crested the last little hill, lightning struck closer than Zuccora had ever seen, through the trees and straight onto the child's horn as she reared up for the final charge. Zuccora screamed, thinking she had just seen someone killed, but just as quickly as the light had come, then came the thunder. The very air shook, impacting her ears hard enough to drive her to her knees. Everything went white, then, oddly, bright green.

There was no thunder the second time. Zuccora peeked from where she knelt on the ground, hoping she wouldn't see a crater where the filly had stood.

There was no crater, but there was a ring of scorched earth around the unicorn, illuminated by her iridescent, brightly green horn. The child hovered nearly a foot off the ground, eyes white and shining just as brilliantly as her horn, apparently unaware of her surroundings. Zuccora had only seen anything like this once, when the magic of the unicorns had seized Twilight Sparkle and directed her movements in a time of great need. The green glow strengthened, until she couldn't look at it any more. There was a thick buzzing, the smell of hot metal, and an explosion that collapsed a full-grown pine tree behind the filly.

Though it was hard to see around the radiant streaks burned into her eyes, Zuccora could still tell that had the tree not exploded, it would have fallen first onto the child, then onto her house. In a way, she had saved them both.

But now the poor thing sank to the ground in an exhausted faint, and the storm still raged. Zuccora dashed over the remaining distance and grabbed the filly, slung her over her back, and galloped back to the house. Forget the stupid bottles, this was something far more magical and precious!


	2. Chapter 2

The storm continued, hardly even slowing until morning, when it finally quit and left the sky a thick grey overcast. Emerald Zap's eyes responded to the weak light before the rest of her brain was awake. She could hear a faint humming, and felt warm in what felt like a pile of dry grass. She opened her eyes.

She had no idea where she was. The hut was small and round, all hung with odd-looking masks and bottles. There was an odd smell in the air, sort of a curry, coconutty, peppery smell that was heavy enough to make her want to fall asleep again. The humming was coming from a zebra across the room, muffled as she used her teeth to pour something into a large cauldron. She had seen zebras before, of course, but had never been inside one of their houses. Zebras in Manehatten were not uncommon, but they lived on the outskirts of town, even further from town center than her own family lived.

No, wait. They didn't live in Manehatten anymore, they'd moved twice since then. Were there zebras in Ponyville? Zap sat up and rubbed her face. She had an enormous headache.

"Ah, good morning, little dear! How do you feel, now it's appeared?"

"Now what's appeared? And who are you?" The zebra trotted over to the bed, carrying a bowl of whatever had been in the cauldron. It steamed and was purple, but smelled delicious. Zap took it, but didn't drink. You never knew what strangers would give you, that's what Mummy had always told her. The zebra smiled.

"Your cutie mark, from when lightning lit. Do you not remember it?"

"My cutie—oh!" She looked under the covers and found her flank to be blank no more. A steel-grey cloud stared back at her, split diagonally by a line of bright green…well, actually she didn't know what exactly that part represented. The color was vibrant enough that it almost glowed under the darkness of the blanket. Emerald Zap thought she had never seen anything more lovely.

"What happened?" she asked. "I remember going out in the rain, and heading towards someone's house because it was the only light in the woods and I thought it must mean I'm near town, but after that…nothing."

"No, little one, you were quite lost—your pathway must have become crossed. You saved my house from falling tree, and also saved your life…and me." In her strange rhyming way, she told the tale of the previous night. Zap listened wide-eyed, heart trembling. She couldn't decide if she was elated at her cutie mark's arrival, or incredibly depressed at the fact that she seemed to have inherited her family's penchant for destruction. At least it didn't seem to have destroyed anything that anyone would miss.

Miss! She was missing school! "I'm sorry, I have to go," she said, scrambling out of the blankets. "I have to get to school!"

Zeccora firmly pushed her back into the bed and informed her that she would be late to school today. Miss Cherilee would understand, and if she didn't, well, the zebra would have a talk with her. "I'll walk along to school as well," she said, whirling a hooded cloak around her stripy shoulders. "Someone has answers yet to tell. For when you can't solve a mystery, one clearly needs…a library."

They had their breakfast on the road, the purple brew turning out to be some sort of oatmeal made from oddly-colored yet still-nutritious Everfree flora. Emerald Zap couldn't tell if she liked the zebra or not; the rhyming was a little annoying, and she was being terribly vague about something, but other than that, she was nice enough. Wait till she told Apple Bloom and the others about her night in the weird hut!

She almost tripped over her own feet when she realized her mistake. She hadn't meant to like the three fillies, because she was sure her father would mess something up soon, and they'd have to leave, and Ponyville would be somewhere she couldn't go back to, and her heart would break all over again…

She shook her thoughts away and trotted to keep up. She was closer to being an adult, now that she had her cutie mark, and could make her own decisions. If Daddy didn't like it, then…well, she'd cross that bridge when it came. Anyway, they might not be as eager today for her to join their group, not when she had what they were searching for so earnestly. She believed what Zeccora had told her, but wasn't certain how to make the light again. She felt she could do it if she really concentrated—no, that wasn't right. It was already there, ready to fly out of her forehead and touch whatever was near, the concentration would have to be more about letting her control go. Maybe she'd be able to use it for some sort of good. Blasting tunnels through mountains, maybe, or digging basements. That thought made her shudder. Every time she had expressed a desire to make something of herself that was better than a destructive crook, her father had grunted and said, "Well, the world needs ditch diggers too."

Sweetie Belle was the first to notice that the new girl's seat was empty. She was busy composing a note about it to Apple Bloom, who sat in front and hadn't seen right away, when the familiar snotty voice of Diamond Tiara cut through the usual morning chatter.

"Hey, the new kid's gone. What do you think happened, the Royal Guards finally caught up with them?"

"What Royal Guards?" asked Sweetie Belle. "What do they have to do with anything?" Diamond Tiara snickered, letting interest in their conversation grow until the whole class was listening. She basked in the attention for awhile, until Scootaloo grouched, "If you don't explain, we're just going to assume you're lying to be mean. What are you talking about?" Tiara huffed.

"For your information, _all_ the society ponies are talking about it, not that _you'd_ know anything about that. That new family that moved here a week ago is on the run from the law, Honest Eagle. Her daddy did something, I've heard all sorts of things. I heard he breaks people's homes and property, cuts them right in half like they were butter. The mother's no better, you know. I heard she has this unicorn spell that makes things move at terribly high speeds, so fast they can go right through someone!"

"The more you talk, the more you inoculate me with skepticism," Sweetie Belle challenged. Everyone stared blankly. "That means I don't believe you. Maybe she's just sick today." Miss Cherilee came in then, and rang the bell for quiet. The lesson began, but Sweetie Belle couldn't concentrate. Diamond Tiara was a snob and a prat, but sometimes she was right. She worried what it meant for the new girl if Tiara _was_ right. They lived near the Everfree Forest, everyone knew that, but did they actually live in it or just close by? If they really lived there, wasn't that indicative of guilt on the part of the family head, on account of being such a great place to hide? Or was it just coincidental? Investigation would be needed.

The lesson halted about halfway through the morning, when Emerald Zap arrived in the company of the witch-doctor, Zeccora. The zebra had a whispered conversation with Miss Cherilee, and Emerald Zap scanned the class nervously. Notes and noodles, was that filly _ever_ at her ease? She was one step into walking to her seat when Miss Cherilee exclaimed excitedly.

"Why, Emerald Zap! You've gotten your cutie mark! Aren't you just full of surprises!" The whole class craned to see the mark, but instead of showing it off proudly, Zap turned shyly away. Sweetie Belle exchanged raised eyebrows with Apple Bloom. Nopony had ever been _ashamed_ of a cutie mark before. Did Emerald Zap have any idea how much the Crusaders would have given to be in her place, all awash with attention, all grown up? Scootaloo crept out of her seat, snuck up behind Zap ,and nudged her forward, giving everyone a clear view. "Go on, hold your head up!" she whispered. "What are you afraid of? We're happy for you!"

"I—don't—want—" Zap protested, but everyone had seen. Miss Cherilee clucked. "What is it, dear? Would you like to show us your special talent?"

"Um, no thank you, um, I'm sorry for being late. I'll just take my seat and—"

"Nonsense! This only happens once in your lifetime, it's a great reason to celebrate!"

"Well, _mostly_ only once in your lifetime," Diamond Tiara whispered loudly, with a pointed look at Apple Bloom, who stuck out her tongue.

In spite of Emerald Zap's protests, the class funneled outside and stood in a ring around her, begging for a demonstration of…whatever the mark was. There was nowhere to run, and with all their voices in her head, Zap felt so overwhelmed that for just an instant, she listened to them.

Bright green light burst from her horn, scorching a patch of ground clean away, scattering bits of rocks and grass everywhere in a small explosion. A couple of the students screamed and bolted for the safety of the school house, while the others stood stunned frozen. Zap recovered her control, saw the horror in their faces out of the corner of her eye, and ran.

Sweetie Belle watched her go, and remembered how to move her feet. She cautiously approached the deep hole that had been burned into the hillside. Apple Bloom came to stand with her, followed by Scootaloo.

"I don't think," Scootaloo said slowly, "That I'm jealous of her anymore." The others said nothing, silently staring into the hole, the scent of molten rock in the air.


	3. Chapter 3

"No, I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing," said Twilight Sparkle, her voice muffled in the heaviness of the library. "Not exactly like that. No pony in history has ever had a talent for…I guess explodie-burnie-type-thingie. It sounds familiar, but I'm sure it wasn't quite a talent. Maybe an evil spell? Where did I put that history—" she trotted off, all lit up at the prospect of something new to research. Zeccora stayed where she was, watching the unicorn flit from shelf to shelf like a great purple hummingbird. "Spike! Where's that biography of Starswirl the Bearded? I _just_ had it."

"You fell asleep reading it. Out loud. Extremely late," Spike grumbled from the top of the stairs. He looked exhausted. "Ah! You're right! That means it's up here…" she ran up the stairs and returned shortly, a huge tome floating in magenta telekinesis before her. She let it drop heavily to the floor, and flicked through the pages rapidly.

"Here! That's why it sounded familiar, something like what you described happened to Starswirl when he was just a young colt! Hmm…the description is vague, but it seems that his raw power needed an outlet, and found it whether he wanted to let it out or not. Would you say this filly is having…'Extreme bursts of energy?'"

"Emerald Zap is quite unique. _Extreme_ is not the word, I think."

"Well, what is the right word then?" Zeccora paused, then decided not to rhyme anything.

"Galactic?" Twilight Sparkle stared at the zebra for a moment, and quickly reread the passage.

"I think we had better find an outlet for her power _soon_," she said, "before anypony gets hurt. If what you say is true, someone _will_ be before too long."

Zap ran as fast as she could, blushing hard enough to make her coat go from its usual green all the way through the spectrum into pink. She didn't want to cry, but her eyes kept filling up with water, making it impossible to see where she was going. Her ears were pounding. All things considered, blind and deaf are not ideal conditions for a full-on sprint. There was a colossal SMACK, and she fell tail over teakettle, tangled with something fluffy and pink.

"Hey! This is like that one time I forgot that I was asleep and when I woke up the sky was below me and I thought the world was upside-down, but it wasn't upside-down at all, I had just fallen asleep on my back but I didn't know that and I thought maybe I could fly but nopony was around and I couldn't tell anyone how cool it was that the world was flipped—"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Zap struggled to distangle, wanting nothing more than to keep running away, but the pink mare would have none of it. She talked so fast that Zap wasn't sure if she even _had_ a filter between her mouth and her brain, or if every thought just came flying straight out no matter what it was.

"It's okay! I crash into things all the time, but mostly they don't apologize because they're not alive, which would be kind of cool I guess but at the same time it would get really super-duper-uber-awkward with things like walls because they've seen you do, like, _everything_, and you wouldn't have any secrets left and what's the matter?" The pink mare seemed to have just noticed Emerald Zap, and her distress. "Are you feeling sad? Because I know the best thing ever for when you're sad, and that's cake! Come with me, come come come come come come…" She grabbed ahold of Zap and manhandled her to a building not far from where they had fallen, one decorated like a gingerbread house.

"Um, no thank you, I don't want any cake, I just want to go home—" She tried to pull away, but that mare was _fast_. Everywhere you looked, she was in front of you, forehead pressed firmly against Zap's flank, shoving her towards the house. It smelled like a bakery.

Seconds later, Zap found herself seated on a spindly little chair, with a cupcake in front of her on an equally spindly table. The pink mare sat across from her, apparently waiting for something. The sudden quiet from the loquacious creature was unnerving to say the least, especially when paired with those enormous round eyes fixed on the cupcake. Emerald Zap looked from side to side, wondering what she was supposed to do.

"Um. Thank you, but I really just want to go home…" she slid out of the chair and back toward the door. "Right now…" Another step. "Right this very instant…" The pink mare was beside her in a blink.

"But you haven't eaten your cupcake! And I know you don't feel better, because there's nothing different now than there was in the road, except now we're right side up, so you can't feel better already! You can't argue with logic! Eat the cupcake!"

"Please let me go home!"

"CUPCAKE!"

"SHUT UP!" and there came again, that awful green light, and an explosion, and this time it went right through the wall, completely destroying the festive yellow plaster. There was a dangerous creak, and the ominous trickle of falling ceiling bits. Emerald Zap slammed her shoulder into the pink mare, pushing her out of the way of part of the roof coming straight down. She barely managed to get out of the way herself, but a large chunk of shingle shaped like a Necco wafer caught her on the hip. She cried out, but didn't stop. Both she and the mare bolted, only just making it outside before the whole corner of Sugarcube Corner collapsed.

The dust settled slowly. The pink mare watched, shocked. "Usually I can tell when this sort of thing is coming," she murmured. "Where have you gone, Pinkie Sense…?"

"I'm so sorry," Zap squeaked. In spite of her bruised hip, she took off running again. Pinkie Pie didn't follow.

"Sugarcube…" she said. "How can I rebuild you?" Her eyes widened as she realized how long it would take to fix the bakery. "How long must I go without CAKE?"


	4. Chapter 4

Twilight Sparkle and Zeccora looked up at the sound of a crash coming from the other end of town. They looked at each other, and dashed for it without a word, the heavy book floating behind them. A quick gallop later, and they came to a floury cloud in the town square. Pinkie Pie sat on her haunches in front of the wreakage of Sugarcube Corner, apparently in shock.

"Pinkie! Are you ok?" cried Twilight. Pinkie Pie didn't respond. "Pinkie?" She waved a foreleg in front of her friend's face, but her expression didn't change.

"Cake…" Pinkie murmered.

"Didn't catch that. What happened?"

"No cake…"

"Would somepony call an ambulance? I think Pinkie's had a concussion!"

"How can you _tell_?" grumbled a bystander. "It's that kid what done it, I saw. The one from that new family." Twilight Sparkle pounced on him. "Where did she go? SPEAK!" The pony pointed, and Twilight ran, trusting in the EMT's to take good care of her friend.

Emerald Zap finally made it into the Everfree again, but didn't stop when she came to her house. One look told her that it was barely standing, and anyway the last thing she wanted was to be anywhere nearby when her family returned. That green light, it felt so _wrong_, so painful to keep inside. She needed to let it out, needed to keep it hidden, needed to scream. On impulse, she veered off the path and plunged through the underbrush. Maybe she'd get so lost nobody would find her, maybe she'd even lose herself. That would be nice.

When she'd been running for a while, she stopped, and the trees immediately began to close around her. Whatever. They'd learn.

She screamed at last, one long, high note, the light bursting out of her horn and obliterating the too-close trees. The light burned on and on, and she kept with the scream until she felt the pressure lessen, and finally wilt. She sat panting in the middle of her crater, trembling. The burnt and molten rock extended for yards all around, the claustrophobic trees nothing more than ash on the breeze. Even after all that, she could feel the seed of the power beginning to fill again. At this rate, she'd be ready to destroy another patch of earth this size in a couple hours.

No, earlier. Some of that pressure had been released at the school and in town, hadn't it? She had maybe an hour before it came back to full strength. What could she possibly do in one hour?

Zeccora had said something about the library being able to solve mysteries. Maybe she could make it back to town, get some reading material, and hightail it back to the woods again before she had to explode again? How fast could she run? And what book would she need when she got there? She got unsteadily to her feet, and was knocked down again by something dense and squarish, flying at high speed directly at her head. She shook the stars out of her brain and picked it up.

"Starswirl the Bearded: A Life and A Half?" she read out loud. How oddly convenient.

A crashing in the underbrush told of someone coming. For a moment, Zap was afraid; the very idea of something threatening her made her laugh a second later. She, afraid of any creature of the forest! She, who was even now surrounded by her own smoking crucible! The thought was so funny and the day had been so stressful that she kept laughing, harder and louder, until her knees gave out and she actually started rolling on the forest floor.

This was how Twilight Sparkle found the little filly, laughing hysterically in the middle of what looked like a volcanic pit, green coat turning black as she rolled in the ashes. Twilight stopped running so abruptly she slid for a couple feet before coming to a halt. She racked her memory rapidly. _What would Starswirl do?_ She had it embroidered on a frame on her bedroom wall, asked the question of herself constantly, but now that she was seeing before her very eyes a situation that Starswirl himself had actually experienced, Twilight had no idea. All right, back to basics, then. Back to Magic Kindergarten.

Lesson One: Calm thyself. Twilight breathed deeply, and sought the inner rock. "Hey," she called to the filly. "Are you ok? Can you hear me?" The child stopped midgiggle and whipped around to stare at Twilight in horror. "S-stay away," she said, voice cracked from an emotional morning's overload. "Please don't come any closer, I don't want to hurt anypony else." The filly backed away, but the slope of the crater made it next to impossible to climb out unaided.

Lesson Two: Fear Nothing. "It's all right, you're not in trouble," Twilight said, hoping she sounded convincing. She could feel the heat of still-cooling rock coming up through her hooves, but still took a step into the crater, then another. When all four feet were over the lip, pulverized ash and stone made the slide down easy. The filly kept trying to back away, but there was nowhere to go. The book lay between them.

Lesson Three: Know When Not To Use Magic. "We can work out whatever your trouble is, but you have to listen to me. All you need is control. I can help, but you have to let me."

"Is that really true, or do you just want me to believe it is?" the filly asked. "Look, it's even on my flank." She twisted to reveal her cutie mark, a dark cloud split by green light. "You can't argue with destiny, I am meant to split the skies." Twilight blinked. _Who talks like that_? She wondered. She'd only heard Princess Luna say such dramatic things. Maybe this kid only looked young.

Lesson Four: Trust Thyself, Trust Thy Fellows. "You wouldn't be the first. Maybe I personally can't help you, but Princess Celestia will know what to do. Come with me to my library, we'll write to her together."

"Princess Celestia?" The filly's eyes widened even further. "Oh no, I couldn't. She—that is, my father—I mean…well, I just couldn't! She's so good and pure she raises the sun every day, and I'm just…" she slumped in the pit, all the fight gone from her. "I'm just a monster," she said. "Princesses don't have time for monsters."

Twilight wanted to object to that last point, but the last several monsters she'd encountered paraded in front of her eyes, every one of them defeated at the Princess' behest but without her help. She shook her head. The kid might be right in a certain light, but that's simply not how things really were. She lowered her horn and used its power to lift herself and the filly out of the crater, followed by the Starswirl biography. She thought of Discord, of Nightmare Moon, the Timberwolves.

"You are not a monster," Twilight said. "Trust me on this, I've _seen_ monsters."


	5. Chapter 5

(Sorry for the radio silence, thanks for sticking with me this long. Updates will be closer together in future, dual jobs and family issues allowing. I do not own MLP:FIM.)

"What then? I thought when you got your cutie mark you were supposed to understand more about yourself." The little filly sat down heavily in the ash. "I want my mama," she said, voice quivering.

This brought Twilight up short. Up till now, she'd been wondering if the kid was actually a kid at all, but nothing old and powerful wanted their mama. Her heart melted a little. It was all very well to remind yourself not to be afraid, but when the thing you were afraid of wanted its mum, well, that changed everything.

Lesson Five: When You Don't Know, Ask.

"All right, maybe Princess Celestia isn't the person to go to. We still ought to write to Canterlot."

"What for?" the filly asked miserably. She was looking at the cover of the book, but didn't quite dare to touch it yet. Twilight floated the book open, to the page that had caused her to bring the volume in the first place. It showed a colored plate of Starswirl, and had been the one she'd used as a reference on Nightmare Night. It, if nothing else in the book, had been accurate.

"Because we need to find the author of this book," she said. "Inkplume. He'll be able to tell us more about Starswirl the Bearded, and how he dealt with the same problem you had." She looked around, at the trees that seemed to loom just a tiny bit closer with each minute. They were getting braver. "We can't stay here. It isn't safe in these woods. There's things that live here that would eat us up in a second. _Real_ monsters. I don't want to meet any, not today or ever."

"But where can we go?" the filly asked. She kicked a cinder, and it splintered. "I mean, this all used to be monster territory."

"Don't worry about that," Twilight replied, a breath of world-weariness in her voice. "Ever since Spike nearly hit maturity, I've gotten pretty good at dragon-proofing my house."

Class had, understandably, been canceled by a shaken Cherilee. Everyone had gone quietly home, though nobody wanted to go alone. Even those that weren't so close as friends walked one another home, not speaking. The Crusaders, without having to say anything to one another, headed straight for the clubhouse, the safest place they knew. They sat quietly for awhile, trying to sum up exactly what ought to be done. Sweetie Belle doodled in her school book, but stopped when she realized she'd been shading a crater into the idyllic hill scene she'd drawn.

"If nopony else will say it, I will," Scootaloo finally said. "Zap scares me, but I don't think she meant any harm. I think we should help her."

"_Help_ her?" Apple Bloom said. "Applejack said I have to stay _away_ from her. She's dangerous."

"You don't think that," Scootaloo shot back. "And since when do you do whatever you're told?" Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue. Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think," Sweetie Belle mumbled, closing her book over the drawing. "You're both right. But the whole thing kind of reminds me of that class field trip to Canterlot Gardens."

They all remembered that. Nopony had blamed them for breaking the statue, and they hadn't owned up to it. They knew it would have happened whether they'd been the ones to do it or not, but that didn't make it any better. They had almost destroyed the world. Apple Bloom sucked in her breath. "You don't think _we_ started all this trouble, do you?"

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle said. "But it _is_ kind of our fault. Even if it isn't, we're involved. We said we'd be her friends, and you can't go back on that. We should…I don't know, take responsibility."

"Sounds good to me," said Scootaloo.

"We're gonna need a plan," Apple Bloom said. "Maybe a backup plan."

"And a back-backup plan!" Sweetie Belle said. "Nothing can go wrong on something this important!"

"Cutie Mark Crusaders are go!" they cheered in unison.

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_The good news is that I've learned the importance of overcoming your fears when it comes to helping a stranger. I kind of already knew that, just from other experiences with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, but this one was new._

_The bad news is, I'm not sure of the next step to take. It could be that a lot of damage gets done to Ponyville before this is over, if it ever really will be. This might be my last letter for awhile, Princess._

_Your faithful student, _

_Twilight Sparkle._

Twilight rolled the letter and gave it to Spike, who flamed it away. "Are you sure about this?" Spike said quietly. They stood on the mezzanine of the library, watching Emerald Zap flip through a stack of books. Her lips moved silently while she read; a lot of her education had been self-taught, she'd explained. Twilight had set her onto reading up on Starswirl, but really this was more of a distraction than anything else. Twilight had already read everything she had on the famous pony, and knew most of the passages by heart.

"Even if I'm not sure, what else can I do?" she said. "Until Inkplume replies to my letter and we find a way to keep her from…I don't know, exploding?...this might be the safest place for her."

"You're keeping a time bomb in your house…because that's the safest place you can think of to put it?" Spike said sarcastically. "_Really_, Twilight? And here I thought you were the smartest pony I knew. What if she goes off?"

"It's not us I'm keeping safe," Twilight said, glancing out the window. "A lot of damage was done to the town today. A lot of ponies are going to be angry about that. And Pinkie…oh gosh, I forgot about her…this isn't like how everyone was afraid of Zecora. This time, they've actually got a reason to be afraid, and a good one at that. It's only a matter of time before someone decides Zap's too dangerous to be allowed to stay."

"She kind of is," Spike grumbled. Below, Zap turned a page.

"Maybe," Twilight said. "And having her here does scare me. But you know what scares me far more? Kicking her out of Ponyville, and her family, and not knowing where she's gone. A power like that, with everypony too full of fear and hate to help her understand or control it, now that's scary. And you know what's even scarier than that?" Spike shook his head, green eyes wide.

"That the thought of it could even occur to me. To anyone. I don't want to think we're so shallow as a town that we'd treat someone like that, ever. We are a civilized people, Spike. We ought to be above being afraid of the dark."


	6. Chapter 6

Searchlight held the scroll in front of him as he flew, knowing he would not hit anything, not at this altitude. He didn't have to study the ground just now, not with such a definite lead as the one the mayor had given him back in Hoofton. "They went East," they mayor had said. "The only thing East of here is Ponyville. If anyone's going to know where they went, that's where you can bet they were last seen." The scroll showed an ink drawing of Razor Beam, front and profile. WARNING, it read below, HIGHLY DANGEROUS. _Well, what else is new_, thought Searchlight. He adjusted his helmet, and wished the royal police uniform were more streamlined. There was just enough wind resistance caused by it all to make it difficult to fly and read at the same time.

"_Incoming!"_ came a holler from behind. He had no time to react before something rainbow-colored cannoned past him and straight into a cloud. It didn't come out the other side, but a panting voice called out from the hole, "Hurry! Get in here!"

"What—" a blue foreleg grabbed him by the breastplate before he could finish his sentence, and yanked him inside. There, he saw the mare that had blasted by so quickly hold a hoof to her mouth and zip the cloud shut. "What are we hiding from?" he whispered. The mare made a tiny hole in the cloud, putting one magenta eye to it nervously.

"Bees," she whispered. "They don't like being challenged. Who knew, right? Oh wait, shush it." There was an enormous buzzing sound, and Searchlight felt the whole cloud vibrate with the pounding of thousands of little wings. They held their breath. The bees circled the cloud once, and continued their angry hunt elsewhere. The mare breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought they'd never stop following me. Sorry about that. Hey, I don't think I know you. Come on out a sec." She scrunched up in the small space and bucked a hole in the cloud, allowing them both to fly out and land on top of it. "That's better. I'm Rainbow Dash, what's your name?"

"Detective Searchlight. Am I near Ponyville yet?"

"A detective? _Awesome! _What are you detecting, some amazing jewel heist? Is it bandits? Ooo! I bet someone's blackmailing someone or something!" She flew up close. "Which is it? Huh? Come on, spill the mystery!"

"There's no mystery. I know exactly who I'm looking for, and so does anyone who regularly goes to a royal post office. Where did you get all those ideas about jewels and blackmail?"

"Oh. Um. I, er, might have read a couple of Daring-Do books…once…when I was laid up and there was nothing else to do. Anyway, yeah, Ponyville's just below. We don't have a post office, though. What does that have to do with anything?" She narrowed her eyes. "Nopony's breaking into mailboxes, are they?"

Searchlight couldn't help but chuckle at that. "No, that's just where they put up wanted posters. I got assigned to this guy." He unrolled the scroll and showed it to her. "Goes by the name of Razor Beam. If you have any information as to his whereabouts, that would make my job much easier."

Rainbow Dash peered at the scroll, but tossed it back with a shake of the head. "Nope. Sorry. Haven't really been on the ground since, like, yesterday. Bees, you know. You should talk to Pinkie Pie, she knows everypony in town. She'll tell you anything you want." She giggled. "Have fun getting her to stop telling you. Come on, I'll show you where she lives. Try and keep up!"

Rainbow Dash dove suddenly, dodging bits of stray mist in a total free fall, banking at the last possible second to avoid colliding with the ground. Searchlight, uncertain how to handle a pony so upfront and friendly, followed at a more moderate pace. The mare's speed seemed to warp water particles in the air, leaving the illusion of a rainbow in her wake until it all settled. He found the trail's end in what looked like a dump heap. Two ponies wearing aprons stood looking sadly at the mess, the mare weeping and holding a pair of babies close. At first Searchlight wondered if Rainbow Dash hadn't crashed and destroyed it, but then he noticed the burnt edges of plaster, smelled ozone and smoke. He thought back to what he'd been told about Razor Beam, and drew the natural conclusion. The fiend was at it again.

Rainbow Dash rushed to the aproned couple, shock on her face. "Mr. Cake! What happened? Is everypony ok?" The stallion she'd addressed took a deep calming breath before answering.

"We're all right, Ms. Dash. Pinkie Pie got a good bonk on the noggin, but they said she'll be back on her feet in a day or so. My house…not so much."

"But what _happened?"_

"It was that new pony!" interrupted the mare, tears and fury making her voice waver all over the octave. "I knew they were no good the moment I saw them, didn't I, Mr. Cake? I told him, 'You watch that family,' I said, 'Nopony comes into our town without talking to anyone and setting up camp in the Everfree!' I told him I did, I said they were trouble, and now _look_ at Sugarcube! I mean…" she burst into new tears. "Just _look_ at it!"

"Excuse me ma'am," Searchlight shouldered his way into the conversation, wings neatly folded, all business. It was important to present a professional appearance when dealing with civilians, all stoicism and strong chest. They pounded that into one at the Academy. He showed Mrs. Cake his badge. "Detective Searchlight, Royal Police. I wonder if you could answer a few questions for me." She sniffed, and her eyes went wide.

"I don't remember calling the Royal Police. Did you, dear?"

"Actually, I was already on my way," Searchlight said. "Is this the pony you mentioned arrived not so long ago?" He unfurled the scroll with Razor Beam's face on it. Mrs. Cake took one glance, and nodded. Searchlight tucked it back into his saddlebag.

"Razor Beam is wanted in three towns for acts of wanton destruction and vandalism, not to mention child endangerment and reckless use of magic. I would have thought he's have the sense to lie low for awhile, but…" he sighed. "Sometimes there's no sense to be had. Does anypony know where I can find him?"

A few of the well-wishers and bystanders put up their hooves to volunteer. Searchlight carefully picked out his posse, and they marched towards the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Among them was Rainbow Dash, and Mr. Cake, both with faces set into grim determination. Privately, Searchlight was glad for their company. When justice needed to be done, it was always better to have the brave and the personally affected on your side.

Quickshot heard them before she saw them. "Dear?" she called into the house. Razor Beam came to stand beside her in the doorway, and they watched the approach of at least a dozen ponies, with what could only be a copper at the front. Well, he had to be; even if the uniform and helmet hadn't given it away, the self-righteous strut and puffed out chest would have. Nopony walked like that unless they thought they were actually better than everyone. The thought made Razor grind his teeth.

"We should run before they get here," he muttered to Quickshot. She snorted.

"If you want. I'm going anywhere without my little girl."

"You and your child will get us into real trouble one day soon."

"They might not be here for you. She's still missing, maybe they've found her." She eyed him levelly. "Run if you want to. Hardly the manly thing to do, but I won't stop you if you're too afraid to stand eye-to-eye with one policeman." He did not move, but a tiny growl began at the back of his throat. Then there was no more time to argue, because the group had stomped up close, and the pair was indeed staring the copper right in the eyes.

"Razor Beam?" the big stallion said curtly. Razor glared. "You are under arrest for destruction, vandalism, and a host of other charges, most recently the collapse of the bakery Sugarcube Corner. You'll have to come with me, sir."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," Razor growled. "I ain't even heard of any Sugarcube Corner."

"Fine," said the copper, and without another word slammed a shoulder into Razor with enough force to throw him to the ground. The crowd of ponies with him roared, and they all joined into the fray. Razor fired his trademark beam into the air, making a thunderclap that caused half the posse to yelp and cover their ears. The other half tackled him anyway. He struggled, but a strange coldness suddenly settled over his horn, and he found the customary throb of power inside it vanish. "What the—let me go!" he cried, but they held him fast. Crossing his eyes and squinting, he could see a cone of some kind of dull metal covering his horn. The copper stood, breathing hard. "Lead enforcer's cuff," he said, a smile cracking his face crazily. "You've got nothing. Except the right to remain silent, though I do hope you decide against that one. When we get to Canterlot, I'll tell you all about your rights to a lawyer and trial that goes with it, but until then, you have no rights."


End file.
